Meet Juliet, a 6-year-old long-hair mini Dachshund, and the newest member of our family!

Yes, we finally did it. After YEARS of debating the subject, we finally brought another dachshund into our home! Juliet came from Wooffun, a local rescueorganization. She is a long-haired miniature dachshund, black & tan dapple piebald (say that five times fast!). She was brought up to New Hampshire from a backyard breeder in South Carolina–one of 18 dogs in the breeder’s stock. He became too old to continue managing his dogs, so he reached out to a local vet to find homes for his dogs.

While Juliet isn’t a puppy mill rescue, her demeanor, lack of training, etc. shows me that she wasn’t a pet. She isn’t housebroken. She is pretty skittish and shy. But she IS socialized to other dogs and familiar people, and she does love a warm lap. Points for her.

Juliet came up with two other dogs–Twix and Misty. When we met her at the foster home, she was socialized to these dogs and comfortable in a pack environment. We took Jasmine to meet Juliet, and it was clear that both dogs were submissive, gentle and relatively low-energy. It was a good match.

We brought Juliet home that night, and we found Jasmine suspicious, but tolerant. The picture on the right shows Jasmine giving us the “Save Me” look. Okay, it’s going to be an adjustment!

Juliet is very skittish. She is very afraid of loud noises. She runs incessantly until she finally runs out of steam and then settles down. However, if she finds a lap, she’s calm. And we found out that she’s a jumper. She jumps all over the furniture. We never let Jasmine jump, but Juliet is a pro. Okay.

She has a lot of parallels to Jasmine when she first came to us. She’s a nervous nellie when it comes to eating. She isn’t food oriented. She’s tremendously skittish. She’s definitely not housebroken.

But she has a lot of traits that make me feel that she’ll come along faster than Jasmine. She is okay with laps and petting (she jumps up on our laps!). She likes rawhide bones (only when we’re not around). She comes close to us without “corralling.”

But, how is Jasmine doing? Absolutely fabulous!! We found the RIGHT dog to bring into our home. Jasmine is blossoming. Competition is bringing her out of her shell. If Juliet is getting scratchies, Jasmine will come over to hubby and demand the same. She’s seeking him out for lap time. She even has learned manners in the short time Juliet has been in the house and doesn’t tear after Juliet’s food after she’s snarfed her own!

Such progress in just a few weeks! We’re so happy to have Juliet in our new home. And, of course, this blog will probably be more active now that we have so many more stories to tell. I already have a few in the queue waiting to be told.

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Every time I see an ad for a dachshund that needs a new home, there’s a little tug at my heart. It’s the “oh that dog is so cute and he needs me” tug. But then reason sets in and I back away.

Reasons we aren’t getting another dog:

Lifestyle. We like to travel locally around neighboring states and areas. Jasmine has been welcome in many hotels and motels, but two dachshunds…that might be more difficult to manage. And Jasmine is a tremendously calm and easy traveler. Dachshund X? He/she could be barky, destructive, etc. Having Jasmine visit friends with us has been fine. Two dogs…we would be staying in hotels or kenneling the dogs when we go on visits. Not good.

Jasmine. We don’t know how she’ll do…okay…the truth…I don’t know how I’ll do splitting my time and attention between two dogs. She’s been the apple of my eye for three years now. How will a second dachshund change her? She’s making great progress right now. Will it set her back? Make her withdraw? Make her more or less social? Unknown.

Cost. One dog is a bit of work and the health issues have been costly with Jasmine. What will a new dog bring?

Work. Jasmine is a gem. She’s so easy. A new dog with new issues? Oh boy. We KNOW we have it easy with Jasmine. She’s NEVER chewed anything that wasn’t hers. She has never had huge daily separation anxiety issues. She’s quiet. She’s the perfect energy level for me (couch potato). She’s house trained.

I know other people have added second dogs with no issues. Am I being silly thinking that my “bond” with Jasmine will not be as strong and I will be somehow taking something away from her/us if I add a second dog?

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I was browsing Pet Finder the other day when I ran across a dog at the Lakes Region Humane Society. Scoobie, a somewhat chubby dachshund, was surrendered by his family due to financial reasons. He’s a bit of a senior dog, supposedly sweet, doesn’t bark, is housetrained and loves people, dogs and cats. Perfect.

I’ve been thinking a lot about why I want a second dog. I would love for Jasmine to have a doggie mentor…a dog to help her become more…well…dog-like. Learn to play. Romp. Wrastle. You know, doggie stuff.

I put in an adoption application for Scoobie after trading emails with the coordinator at the shelter. I’ve been thinking about him. I know we could give him a good home, but how would it impact Jasmine? My greatest fear is that I disrupt the progress she has made. I also love her deeply (as if you couldn’t tell that from this blog), and I would never do anything that would cause her distress. Jasmine is happy now days. She romps through the yard. She loves snuggling with us on the big bed. She has a good dog’s life, and she is enjoying it to the fullest.

I told Hubby how conflicted I was about bringing a new dog into our happy home. I’d love to give Scoobie a home. But would it hinder Jasmine’s progress? Would it take away from her?

He finally asked me WHY I wanted another dog. Jasmine is happy. I am happy. I told him that I wanted him to have a dog as well. HIS dog. A dog who follows him everywhere. A dog who greets him with the same joy that Jasmine greets me. He told me that while it would be nice, he’s not the dog person. I am. So it wasn’t necessary for him to have HIS dog. As long as Jasmine and I are happy, he’s happy.

And we are. I love the life I’ve given Jasmine and the companionship she gives to me. I don’t think I want to disrupt that. So once and for all, no second dog.

UPDATE: One of this blog’s readers saw this post and is now going to adopt Scoobie!!!!!! YAY!!! I’m SO happy that Scoobie is getting a home and that I had some small part in his adoption. WOW!

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We went to the foster home that Jasmine came from yesterday to check out more potential companions for Jasmine. The foster mom had just received two females from a backyard breeder–one of which had just had puppies nine weeks ago. The puppies (two girls and a boy–all three are black-and-tan) were being fostered as well.

The two females–Millie and Molly–were very friendly and happy, but a bit undisciplined. Millie is a tweenie red and Molly is a black-and-tan with a tiny bit of dapple in her blood. Molly seemed to be a bit malnourished–she had lots of thin spots where hair should have been. She was also swollen from recent nursing.

There were several other doxies in residence. Tuli and Mack have already been adopted and are awaiting the renovation of their new home–complete with dachsie ramp. Hank and Bella were rescued from a situation where they were kept outside all the time. They are a bonded pair, and since coming to the foster home, they have adapted well.

I liked Hank. He was about Jasmine’s size, and he really liked hubby. The problem was that he once was a pampered boy…and then his family banished him to the outdoors (they had a baby). Because of this, he has trust issues and has been known to snap when scared. He also has issues with possessiveness with food and with handling. It’s going to take some time to build his trust, and I’m not sure that I’d feel that he could be safe around the grandkids. He’s also bonded with Bella…it would be a shame to break up the pair. Bella is a dominant female, and that wouldn’t sit well with Jasmine.

Jasmine didn’t want anything to do with any of the dogs. I even had puppies climbing on her. She loves puppies but was so intimidated by the situation that she ignored everything and everyone. When I put her on the ground, she cowered behind my legs. The only time she relaxed was when she was curled in my lap. I was hoping she’d connect with one of the dogs, but that was too much to ask. There were too many dogs, and she just shut down.

I learned something else yesterday. I’m not ready. I keep thinking about what will happen to her if we bring another dog in the house. She’s still coming out of her shell, and I’d hate to reverse her progress. It may sound silly, but I don’t want her to lose her status as the “pampered pooch” of the house. If we bring another dog in that becomes alpha, she WILL lose her favored position. And I’m not ready to do that. So I think we’re going to shelve the “get a second dachshund” decision until we’re settled in our new home back East. After the dust settles and we’re all comfy in our new lives, we’ll revisit the question. Until then, Jasmine will be an only dog.

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I have been giving a lot of thought to getting a second rescued dachshund after we move to the new house. Here’s what I’ve been thinking.

Pros

A properly socialized dog could help socialize Jasmine. I’d love her to learn how to greet other dogs and not be so afraid when one approaches.

Jasmine would have a playmate and a companion. Jasmine plays, but not very often (maybe once a day). Another dog would engage her to play more often. I saw her play with puppies, and it was so gratifying to see her romp around with them. I don’t see that in her very often, and I worry that she isn’t having as full of a life as I can give her.

Hubby would have a dog that would be a companion to him. Okay, there’s no guarantee that the second dog would like my husband any more than Jasmine does. However, I’m hoping to adopt a dog that has lost its loving home rather than a dog that has never been socialized or has no known background (stray). It will give my husband the chance to enjoy a sweet, snuggly dog in his lap that’s not scared of him. And maybe–just maybe–that will help Jasmine get over her fear of him as well.

Another dog is just more to love. Two little faces looking up at me…oh, heaven!

Cons

Two dogs = 2x the expense. Jasmine’s expenses have been high. A lot of that stems from the fact that she is a rescue. We expected that her medical bills would be higher than the average dog. A second dog would double that expense, and we’ll have very different economics after we move (hubby is retiring). Can we afford the second dog?

I don’t want to take away attention from Jasmine. It may sound silly, but I don’t want to make Jasmine feel that she’s not the heart of my heart. I don’t want the second dog to detract from the relationship she has with me.

We may not get a mellow, quiet dog like Jasmine. We like Jasmine because she’s so mellow–and somewhat UN-Dachshund-like. She doesn’t bark. While she’s stubborn, she follows commands well. She doesn’t dig or run after “prey.” She doesn’t chew anything we haven’t given her to chew.

We have a lot of time to think about it, so I’m not really going to worry about “having” to make a decision soon. But this has been on my mind…

Multiple dachshund owners, I’d love to hear your experiences of having more than one of these lovable creatures. Or are you too tired to type? 😉